Spun yarn containing organic derivatives of cellulose and method of producing same



Patented July 7, i936 lTE STATES PATENT OFFICE Camille Dreyfus, New York, N. Y.

No Drawing. Application September 26, 1934, Serial No. 745,531

14 Claims.

This invention relates to yarns spun from staple fibres or short lengths of filaments containing organic esters of cellulose that have been locally altered by saponification of the organic ester of 5 cellulose.

An object of the invention is'the economic and expeditious production of yarns and fabrics formed from same that are adapted to withstand a high ironing temperature. Another object of the invention is a yarn derived from organic esters of cellulose that is adapted to cross-dyeing efiects and an enhanced lofty hand. Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

Yarns and fabrics of organic derivatives of cellulose cannot be ironed with safety by an iron heated much above 220 C. due to the thermoplastic nature of the organic derivatives of cellulose. By this invention, however, yarns or fabrics may be formed from staple length fibres containing organic esters of cellulose that have a safe ironing temperature of above 250 C. This is accomplished by intermittently or periodically saponifying the fibres from which the yarns and fabrics are formed.

By this invention pleasing and useful crossdyeing efiects may be obtained in that the fabric may be dyed with dyes having an afiinity for the unsaponified ester of cellulose which forms one component of the two component yarn or with a dye such as a direct cotton dye that imparts color only to the saponified ester of cellulose forming the other component of the two component yarn. Further, a mixture of a dye having aflinity for organic derivatives of cellulose and a direct cotton dye may be applied to the yarns or fabrics concurrently in such a manner thatcross-dyed effects are produced.

By this invention yarns and fabrics formed of .40 staple length fibres containing organic esters of cellulose may be produced that are soft in texture. Such yarns and fabrics have a lofty smooth feel.

A further advantage of this invention is that the fibres which are employed to form the yarns contain a part which is saponified and apart which is unsaponified. This gives to the yarn the hand and other properties of yarns spun from organic derivatives of cellulose while the saponified section of the yarn causes better binding properties and a stronger yarn and fabric to be produced.

In accordance with this invention I form yarns, and fabrics from said yarns, which yarns are spun by any suitable method from short lengths or'staple fibres of organic esters of cellulose. the fibres having been intermittently saponified. Fibres or short lengths of filaments of other materials maybe mixed with these intermittently saponified fibres to produce yarns and fabrics having the appearances of the added fibres.

The organic esters of cellulose that are applicable to the formation of the staple fibres may be cellulose acetate, cellulose formate, cellulose propionate or cellulose butyrate. These staple fibres may be formed by spinning filaments by either the wet or dry method of spinning from solutions containing an organic ester of cellulose. These substantially continuous filaments may then be intermittently saponified by any suitable means and the same after saponification cut or broken into staple lengths. The length of the staple fibre and the spacing or period of the intermittent saponification, preferably; should be such that each length of fibre-contains a portion of non-saponified cellulose ester and a portion containing saponified cellulose ester. The saponification, on those parts saponified may be partial or complete and by the term saponification is meant complete saponification, partial saponification or surface saponification.

The staple fibres may be made from the continuous filaments by cutting or breaking same by any suitable method, for exampleicutting the same into lengths, say from a half inch to 17" by knives or by stretching the same between two pairs of nip rollers or in any other suitable manner. Further, the methods and devices described in U. S. Patents Nos. 1,969,770 and 1,895,246 or other methods may be employed to form staple lengths of the substantially continuous filaments.

In a modified form of my invention the continuous filaments containing the organic esters of cellulose may be first cut to staple lengths and the mass of staple fibres then intermittently saponified by random spraying, dipping or other suitable methods such that in general each length of staple'fibre contains a saponified portion and an unsaponified portion.

Any suitable method of saponification may be employed. Thus the continuous filaments may be periodically padded, sprayed or dipped into solutions containing a caustic material. Any suitable saponifying mixture and method may be employed. V

The staple fibres may be short straight lengths of filament or the same may have a crimp or curl imparted thereto. This crimp or curl may be imparted to the filaments before being cut into staple lengths or the same may be applied d ing cutting or after the fibres are formed by pressing the same through nip rollers havi g a serrated face-or by other suitable methods.

The fibres may be spun into yarn by any suitable method such as the woolen method, the worsted method or the French method employed in spinning animal fibres or by gill boxes and other suitable methods employed in spinning cot ton fibres. If desired fibres of other materials may be mixed with the intermittently saponified cellulose ester fibres for example a mixture containing about 30% animal fibres may be rnixed with 'the intermittently saponified organic; ester of cellulose fibres and the same spun to a, yarn bythe woolen method of spinning. This invention, however, is of particular application to the formation of yarns and fabrics made solely from fibres of organic esters of cellulose.

The spunvyarns may be processed to a fabric in any suitable manner such as by weaving, circular knitting, warp knitting, netting, knotting or otherwise. These yarns in being processed to fabrics may be employed in conjunction with yarns containing other types of fibres and/or'filaments for example a cloth may be formed having a warp of yarns consisting of substantially continuous filaments of cellulose acetate and weft yarns formed by spinning intermittently saponified staple fibres containing organic esters of cellulose.

The fabrics so formed maybe dyed in any suitable manner. Thus the fabric may be treated with a dye having afiinity only forthe organic ester of cellulose leaving the other components of the yarns uncolored or alternatively a dye may be employed effecting only any one of the other components or a dye bath may be formed of various colored dyes each having aflinity for one of I the components. Thus a fabric may be colored, each component of which is of a difierent' color from the remaining components and many pleasing and novel cross-dyeing efiects may be produced.

As an illustration and not as a limitation the following example is given.

Example the saponified material andythe unsaponified material alternate in approximatelyfif lengths. These filaments are then cut in about '7' staple I lengths and the same spun by the woolen method of spinning into a. yar'n. Then the yarn is processed to a fabric by weaving.

The fabric is found to withstand an ironing temperature of above 260 C., has a full soft hand and is of exceptional strength.

It is to be understood that the above description is given by way of illustration and many alterations may be made therein without departv ing from the spirit of my invention. v

Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of producing yarns from filaments containing organic esters of cellulose, that have a high ironing temperature, which comprises intermittently saponifying filaments of organic esters of cellulose, forming staple length fibres of the fllaments,- each'of said fibres having a saponified portion and an unsaponified portion,

3. A method of producing yarns from filaments containing organic esters of cellulose, that have a high ironing temperature, which comprises intermittently saponifying filaments of. organic esters of cellulose, forming the filaments into staple fibres, the period of intermittentsaponification of the filaments being shorter than the length of the fibres and spinning .the fibres to a yarn.

4. A method of producing yarns from filaments containing cellulose acetate, that have a high ironing temperature; which comprises intermittently saponifying filaments of cellulose acetate,

forming the filaments into staple fibres, the period of intermittent saponification of the filaments being shorter than the length of the fibres and spinning the fibres to a yarn.

5. A method of producing yarns from filaments containing organic esters of cellulose, that are capable of being colored by cross-dyeing methods, which comprises intermittently saponifying fila- .ments of an organic ester of cellulose, forming staple length fibres of the filaments, each of said fibres having a, saponified portion and an unsaponified portion, and spinning the fibres to a yarn.

6. A method of producing yarns from filaments containing cellulose acetate, that are capable of being colored by cross-dyeing methods, which comprises intermittently saponifying filaments of cellulose acetate, forming staple length fibres of the filaments, each of said fibres having a saponified portion and an unsaponified portion, and spinning the fibres to a yarn. I

7. A method of producing yarns from filaments containing organic esters of cellulose, that have a high ironing temperature, which comprises forming the filaments into staple length fibres, saponifying the fibres at random for the purpose of saponifying a part of each fibre and spinning the fibres into a yarn.

8. A method of producing yarns from filaments containing cellulose acetate, that have a high ironing temperature, which comprises forming the filaments into staple length fibres, saponifying the fibres at random for the purpose of saponifying a part of each fibre and spinning the fibres into a y n.

9. A meth of producing fabrics from filaments containing organic esters of cellulose, that have a high ironing temperature, which comprises intermittently saponifying filaments of organic esters of cellulose, forming staple length fibres of the filaments, each of said fibres having a saponified portion and an unsaponified portion, spinning the fibres to a yarn and forming the yarns into a fabric.

10. A-method of producing fabrics from filaments containing cellulose acetate, that have a high ironing temperature, which comprises intermittently saponifying filaments of cellulose acetate, forming staple length fibres of the filaments, each of said fibres having a saponified portion and an unsaponified portion,spinning the fibres to a yarn and forming the yarns into a fabric.

11. A spun yam capable of being dyed by crossdyeing methods and that will withstand a high ironing temperature comprising staple fibres which contain organic derivatives of cellulose and which are saponified over a portion only of their length.

12. A spun yarn capable of being dyed by crossdyeing methods and that will withstand a high ironing temperature comprising staple fibres which contain cellulose acetate and which are saponified over a portion only of their length.

13. A fabric formed of yarns comprising staple fibres which contain organic derivatives of cellulose and which are saponified over a portion only of their length.

14. A fabric formed of yarns comprising staple fibres which contain cellulose acetate and which are saponified over a portion only of their length.

CAMILLE DREY'FUS. 

